Method and apparatus for insertion of electrical contacts into electrical connectors

ABSTRACT

AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CONTACT HANDLING TOOL HAVING A SMALL DIAMETER COLLET CHUCK MECHANISM TO, IN ONE EMBODIMENT, GRIP INSIDE A CONTACT SOCKET TIP, AND IN A SECOND EMBODIMENT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY GRIP A CONTACT PIN TIP, A THIN ELONGATED TUBE ALIGNED WITH THE CHUCK, A WIRE RECIPROCATINGLY SLIDABLE IN THE TUBE, AND A HANDLE AND TRIGGER FOR SELECTIVELY ACTUATING THE WIRE TO SLIDE TO RETRACTED AND TO EXTENDED POSITION IN THE TUBE TO ACCORDINGLY EFFECT CONTACT HOLDING OR RELEASING. IN THE METHOD, THE SMALL CHUCK   AND THE TUBE ARE INSERTED THROUGH A CONNECTOR BODY NUMBERED APERTURE, THE CORRESPONDING CONTACT TERMINAL IN A CABLE IS GRIPPED BY THE CHUCK, THE CONTACT IS PULLED THROUGH THE APERTURE TO ASSEMBLED POSITION, AND THE CONTACT IS THEN RELEASED.

Oct. 26, 1971 N. MOULIN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTION OF ELECTRICAL CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed. Aug. 19, 1968 Oct. 26,1971 N. L. MOULIN 3,614,824

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTION OF ELECTRICAL CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed Aug. 19, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. L. MOULIN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTION OF ELECTRICAL Oct. 26, 1971 CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed Aug. 19, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 N. L. MOULIN 35,614,824 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTION OF ELECTRICAL Oct. 26, 1971 CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 19, 1968 3,614,824 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR llNSERTlON OF JELEC'lRlCAL CONTACTS llNTO ELlECAlL CONNECTORS Norbert 1L. Moulin, Placentia, Calif, assignor to Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, Calif. Filed Aug. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 753,377 lint. Cl. H011 19/04 US. Cl. 29-403 16 Claims ABSACT OF THE lDlSClLOSURlE An electrical connector contact handling tool having a small diameter collet chuck mechanism to, in one embodiment, grip inside a contact socket tip, and in a second embodiment circumferentially grip a contact pin tip; a

thin elongated tube aligned with the chuck; a wire reciprocatingly slidable in the tube; and a handle and trigger for selectively actuating the wire to slide to retracted and to extended position in the tube to accordingly effect contact holding or releasing. In the method, the small chuck and the tube are inserted through a connector body numbered aperture, the corresponding contact terminal in a cable is gripped by the chuck, the contact is pulled through the aperture to assembled position, and the contact is then released.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The invention relates to electrical connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and tools structurally capable of insertion of electrical socket and pin contacts into an electrical connector, for example, a connector of the type having a flexible environmental seal, such that the tool may be inserted through an interface aperture of a connector body, extended beyond the body rear face, caused to firmly grasp the contact tip, then while holding the contact may be drawn through the connector body until the contact locks into proper assem- 5 bled position within the body, and the tool may then be caused to release the contact and to be withdrawn.

(2) Description of the prior art Prior art methods and apparatus for inserting contacts into a connector body involved utilization of tools and steps wherein the connector contact had to be isolated from a group of other contacts terminating wires of a cable and then pushed through the connector body from the rear face (opposite the interface of pin and socket contact containing bodies). The cable containing the contact was emplaced near the rear connector face. The tool handle had to be made short so as to be manipulatable within the relatively small space available at the rear face and was therefore ditficult to hold. The tool was generally of U-shaped cross-sectional construction and sized such that the rear of the contact near the crimped MillflA Patented Oct. 26, 1971 portion around the wire tip could be pushed by disposing the wire into the cross-sectional U-shaped tool recess. The tool was then forced against the rear crimped edge to push the contact through the back face a relatively long distance into the connector body. Such prior art methods made identification of the wire and identification of the aperture in the back through which it had to be placed difiicult. The space available to the assembly was small and congested including congestion caused by the entering cable. The lighting in the area behind the contact body was insuflicient due to the obstructions. The inaccessibility and need to bend over into the small space and the angle of sight permitted by prior art tools and methods made viewing the small numbers printed on the rear face difiicult or impossible and this caused delay and errors particularly where a large number of contacts, for example, 5-3120 contacts are inserted into a connector body. Often buzzing had to be utilized wherein a buzzer device was placed in the circuit and continuity tested upon putting in of. the contacts. The rear entry tools and methods were cumbersome, involved delay and required more skilled operators as compared with the front face contact inserting tools and method of the invention. Additionally, in using the prior art rear pushing contact insertion method and means, the rubber or elastomer gaskets or seals in connectors such as those disclosed in the aforementioned patent application S.N. 661,876 were sometimes damaged and lost sealing capability due to the metal pushing edges of the prior art devices. Also the pushing action crimped the flexible material making the pushing through of the contact and rear insertion tool difiicult especially in view of the necessary long travel distance of tool and contact through the connector. Further, the prior art means and methods may not be utilized with individual contacts wherein rubber bushings may be provided to effect the sealing rather than in gaskets since the engagement of the tool with the rubber bushing would harm or destroy the rubber bushing where contact was established and otherwise would tend to compress the rubber bushing such that it could not be pushed readily or perhaps at all through the aperture provided for that purpose. The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages of the prior art and affords additional advantages. For example, by employing the apparatus and the method of the present invention, the pulling of a contact through the connector body extends the rubber or permits it to retain its shape so that pulling through the connector body is facilitated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a method and mechanisms or tools for inserting socket contacts and for inserting pin contacts into the apertures provided therefor in an electrical connector body via the connector body rear face. The socket contact inserting mechanism and the contact pin inserting mechanisms each comprises means to releasably retain a respective socket or pin electrical contact member in positively held relationship. For this purpose the socket contact inserting mechanism may comprise an expansi-ble bushing and the pin contact socket member may comprise a contractable bushing or chuck. The contact insertion mechanisms each also comprise an elongated associated member or section. The socket or pin contact insertion tool is cross-sectionally sized and shaped at the contact engaging and retaining end and for a distance along its length therefrom preferably longer than the connector body so as to fit for slidably pushing through the length of each of the contact container apertures of the connector body to protrude beyond the body. The contact insertion tools or mechanisms each further comprises a means to selectively actuate or switch the contact releasably retaining means to contact-releasing and to contact-retaining condition.

Briefly, in the illustrative embodiment, for example, the elongated associated member may be a tube. Disposed within the tube may be an elongated wire or rod which may be pulled to draw the wire to contact-engaging position or which may be pushed to extend the wire into contact-releasing position. The wire pulling and releasing means may be a double-throw type switch means actuated by a trigger wherein the wire is held in its last thrown displaced position until switching occurs to the other of the contact-released or contact-engaged positions. In one embodiment, suitable for contact sockets, the contact socket engaging means may comprise an arrangement comprising a rear bushing and a separated stop each chamfered, and between the cha-mfered members may be circumferentially disposed an apertured splitcylindrical expansible bushing chamfered at the aperture ends. The rear bushing stop and split bushing may be spaced and formed such the expansible bushing chamferred edges ride on the stop and rear bushing chamfers. The wire or rod may be fixedly secured to the stop such that upon retracting the wire through the elongated tube, the expansible bushing chamfered aperture edges ride up the stop and rear bushing chamfers and may be expanded to tightly engage the inner contact socket tip to hold it fixedly upon the contact insertion tool tip. In a second illustrative embodiment, for pin contacts, a mechanism comprising a similar elongated tube and contained wire and switch means may be provided. The tube may have a counterbore. The counterbore may be chamfered or bevelled at the section adjacent its open end. Into the counterbore may be inserted a split or grooved contractable apertured bushing having a tapered, (or chamfered or bevelled) circumferential section which interfits within the counterbore edge chamfered section of the tube such that the contractable bushing member is contracted upon riding of the bushing bevelled edge against the tube counterbore bevelled edge. The wire is attached to the split bushing. The aperture through the split bushing is sized to slidably receive the contact pin tip in wire extended position and to fixedly hold the contact pin until released upon contracting of the aperture through the bushing in wire retracted position.

In the method of the invention, contacts terminating the wires of a cable, which wires may be appropriately marked with indicia corresponding to connector body apertures and terminated by contacts, are one by one engaged by a contact insertion mechanism of the invention. In cases of replacement, test, etc. only one or several contacts may be so engaged and retained. The contact insertion tool is inserted through a preselected contact body aperture from the connector body front face (the face to be later interfaced with a corresponding front face of a mating connector body) to a distance such that the tool protrudes beyond the opposite (rear) connector body end. If not in such condition, the tool is actuated to contact releasing condition. The tool tip and the tip of the contact at the end of the wire in the cable which is to be connected through the connector aperture through which the tool protrudes are interfitted in interengaging relationship. Upon completing the interengagement of the contact insertion tool with the contact, the tool is actuated to its contact-retaining condition. The contact insertion tool and the contact which is positively held in the tool are drawn through the connector body rear face and then through the preselected aperture in the connector body until the contact is e-mplaced into operative position within the connector body. The tool is actuated to its contact releasing position to release the contact. The tool is then withdrawn through the connector body front face. Similarly, the contact insertion tool is inserted through each of the remaining empty respective contact retaining apertures of the connector body from the interface and the respective corresponding contacts are inserted from the connector body 4 rear face and drawn therefrom through the appropriate connector body apertures.

The present invention overcomes the hereinbefore enumerated and other disadvantages of the prior art and affords additional advantages. Because, in the invention the contact retaining means and the elongated tubular portion may be extended considerably beyond the rear face of the connector body, the gripping of the contact pin or contact socket may be effected away from the congested area near the connector body rear face. This is advantageous over prior art insertion of contacts from the rear face which sometimes made working in the congested area necessary. Additionally, the proper contacts and proper corresponding connector body apertures are readily selected. The numbers with prior art rear insertion methods and devices cannot readily be seen from the connector body congested area in the proximity of the rear face. However, by the contact inserting tools and method of the present invention the numbers readily viewable on the face of a connector body to be later interfaced with a mating connector body of the connector are those viewed. Hence the convenience and accuracy of such visual comparison between the number of the aperture and the number on the connector contact socket or pin intended to be put into that aperture is provided by the invention. Also, in viewing of the contact during the prior art rear face insertion, both the wire and contact insertion tool are in the way. By the present invention, the view of the front face numerals is not obstructed by the contacts and wires and the contact insertion tool provides far less or no obstruction in comparison since the field of view is along the tool, not at an angle to it.

Additionally, by employing the invention, the flexible seal gaskets such as rubber seals which are desirably introduced into many connector bodies are not damaged such as occurs by a rear insertion tool.

Further, by employing the apparatus and the method of the present invention, the adverse bunching up effect of pushing is avoided. With the invention, the pulling of a contact through the connector body extends rather than contracts the rubber or permits the rubber to retain its shape so that pulling through the connector body is facilitated.

Additionally, the present invention does not normally require the prior art procedure of normally having a buzzer type check performed to insure that the correct mating of contacts and disposition of individual contacts will occur.

The invention further provides greater ease of assembly of contacts within a connector body, more chance for accurate assembly, it saves considerable time and therefore presents a more economical as well as superior manufacturing method and means for insertion of contacts. With the invention, repair procedures are facilitated. The tools of the invention are relatively simple and are adaptable to manufacture in quantity. The tools provide better gripping action, enable less manual dexterity to be required of the operator at assembly and economy of operation in repair manufacturing.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide contact insertion mechanisms and a method of contact insertion whereby the individual contacts may be advantageously pulled through a connector body into assembled position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector contact insertion tool which is sized and shaped to be inserted into through the individual apertures of a connector body from the connector body interface end, wherein identification of the proper aperture and insuring correspondence of contact and aperture is facilitated, wherein the contact may be secured for insertion better and in a less congested and more accessible area, and wherein the amount of skill required of personnel performing contact inserting operations may be significantly reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact insertion tool which is insertable through the contact apertures from the front end, or end of a connector body to be interfaced with another connector body, which permits selection of the correct contact to be inserted in a given corresponding aperture with greater facility, and wherein there is provided an opportunity for greater manuverability and manipulability so as to insure the contact appearing in the correct aperture within the connector body with a minimum of effort, and wherein damage to flexible rubber or other material gaskets which may be a part of or assembled with the connector body or contacts is avoided.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a connector insertion method and means wherein a connector tool of elongated narrow substantially tubular configuration may be inserted from the front face and eX- tend beyond the rear face of a connector body a distance sufficient so that facility of engagement with a selected contact pin or socket may be affected, which is designed to firmly and better grip and hold the contact until it is pulled through the connector body to its operative position and which facilitates assembly without damage or destruction of connector parts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a contact insertion tool which is capable of being inserted through the individual apertures at the front face of a connector body, that is the face which may, with the corresponding face of a second connector body, form an interface upon the two connector bodies being mated, and which tool can be extended beyond the rear face of the connector body, which may comprise a mechanism operable from in front of the front face of the connector body to selectively release and secure a contact tip which may be attached to a cable such that in contact tip secured condition, the contact insertion tool may be withdrawn from the rear of the connector body through a connector body contact retention aperture until the contact is locked into place within the connector body, and which then may be operated from in front of the connector body, to release the contact securing means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and means for assembly of an electrical connector body wherein a contact may be securely grasped from its position at the rear of the connector body, may be secured, may be then pulled through the connector body aperture from the rear of the aperture until the contact is locked into place in operative position within the connector body and the contact may be then released.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned and other features and objects will be apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, presenting a first preferred illustrative embodiment of the pin contact insertion mechanism and method of the invention, showing a pin contact being retained and a connector body into which the pin contact is inserted via the rear face and through the cross-sectionally illustrated connector body aperture;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the connector body of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 illustrating a plurality of the numbered apertures at the connector body front face;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 1 showing the pin engaging and securing bushing or collet chuck type mechanism of the illustrative embodiment pin contact insertion tool shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, presenting a second preferred illustrative embodiment of the socket contact insertion mechanism and method of the invention, in a showing similar to that of FIG. 1 and wherein some features are similar or identical to those of 6 FIG. 1, but showing a socket contact being retained and showing a connector body into which the socket contact is inserted via the rear face and through the cross-sectionally illustrated connector body aperture;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view taken along the lines of 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing the socket engaging and securing expansible bushing mechanism of the illustrative embodiment socket contact insertion tool shown in FIG. 4, with the expansible bushing mechanism shown in expanded socket contact securing closed condition;

FIG. 5a is a fragmentary side sectional view of the expansible bushing mechanism of FIG. 5, with the expansible bushing mechanism shown in contracted socket contact releasing open condition;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a fragment of the extension tube and of the plunger housing and mechanisms of the contact socket insertion tool taken in the direction of the arrows along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 4, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are bracketed to show continuity, the extension tube shown with the central portion broken away extending as shown to the right of FIG. 5 and to the left of FIG. 6, from the expansible bushing mechanism into the plunger mechanism:

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in cross-section of a portion of the socket contact insertion tool of FIG. 4, illustrating the handle and trigger mechanism and a portion of the plunger housing and plunger mechanism with the mechanisms shown in open, wire retracted, contact releasable condition;

FIG. 8 is a view of the handle and trigger mechanism and a portion of the plunger housing and plunger mechanism as shown in FIG. 7 but with the mechanisms in closed, wire extended, contact retainable condition;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the handle of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a view of the trigger taken in the direction of the arrows 10-10 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevational side view of a third preferred illustrative embodiment of the contact insertion mechanisms and method of the present invention, with portions shown in cross-section for purposes of clarity and illustrating a modified construction handle and trigger mechanism for selectively retracting and extending the extended tube contained wire and which may have connected thereto a pin contact contractable slotted bushing or chuck mechanism as shown in FIG. 3 or a socket contact expansible bushing mechanism as shown in FIGS. 5 and 5a to engage a respective contact.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Many types of electrical equipment require electrical connectors to interconnect units having bundles of wires or cables to carry electrical signals and power therebetween. An electrical connector may comprise a first and a second facing connector body. The connector may be any one of several types and of several shelf sizes, may be rectangular, circular or otherwise shaped, and may have a backseal, for example, the connectors marketed by Hughes Aircraft Company under the trademark Bulls-Eye. Although, the invention is not to be limited thereto, as illustrated in my aforementioned copending application S.N. 661,876, one or both of the connector bodies may have a rear seal of flexible elastomer or rubber material. Each of the connector bodies has a plurality of apertures into which are to be disposed respective mating pin and socket connector contacts.

Refer to FIG. 1. A connector body is provided having a front face and a rear face 104. Connector body 100 has a plurality of aperturese therethrough to retain electrical contacts to be inserted, a single aperture 101 being illustrated in FIG. 1. Connector body 100 may also comprise a backseal or rear seal member 102 which may have a flexible ribbed contact engaging aperture 103.

Refer to FIG. 2. Connector body 100 ordinarily has formed therethrough a considerable number of apertures,

for example, 50 to 250 apertures, into which contacts are to be inserted. FIG. 2 illustrates a small portion of the connector body 100 having apertures 147, 161, 162, 174, 175, 176, 188, 189, 190, 201, 202 and 203. Connector body 100 is illustrated as having contact 201a inserted and the remaining contacts shown in FIG. 2 are to be inserted. The connector body 100 may be structured to contain a plurality of crimp-type, front-release, snap-end contacts of any one of several shelf sizes in a connector having a highdensity of contacts. The contacts may be crimped to the individual wires of the cable entering into or exiting from a module or unit of electronic equipment.

Refer again to FIG. 1. A plurality of crimped wire contacts forming a cable, three of which are shown in FIG. 1 by way of illustration, may require connection to corresponding crimped wire contacts in a second cable (not shown). A wire 110 upon which is crimped a pin contact 111, may be selected as that to be next inserted into connector body 100.

A pin contact insertion tool generally designated 40 is provided. Tool 40 comprises a handle and trigger mechanism 41, a plunger housing and mechanism 42, an extension tube portion 43 and a pin contact retaining portion 4. The pin contact retaining portion 44 and extension tube 43 (or at least a portion thereof) are sized and shaped to be inserted through the connector body apertures from the front face 105 of connector body 100 and to protrude beyond the rear face 104 of connector body 100 for a purpose to be later herein described. The handle and trigger mechanism 41 includes handle 31 and a trigger 32.

Although the invention is in nowise to be restricted thereto it is mentioned that connector bodies often have thicknesses of from slightly less than 1 inch to about an inch and one-half. In the present invention wherein insertion of the contact insertion tool 40 may be made into an aperture in the front face 105 of connector body 100, the extension tube 43' is preferably made several times longer than connector body 100. Although the invention is in nowise to be restricted to such dimensions, the tube 43 length, for example, could be 6% inches. Since the length of tube 43 is several times the thickness of the connector body 100, the contractable bushing or collet chuck 44 may be extended through aperture 101 to protrude considerably beyond the rear face 104. Therefore, the contact 111 may be readily engaged and secured to tool 40 at a point away from the congested area (not numbered) near the rear face 104 of connector body 100. The Wire v110 may have identification indicia 112- which may be corresponded to a number formed on the front face 105 to designate the particular body 101 aperture into which the contact pin .111 is tobe inserted. Thus the Wire 110 to be inserted may be readily picked from a group of wires on a cable at a point removed from the congested area near the connector body rear face 104, may be tightly secured by contacting the contractable bushing 44 around the tip of its terminating pin contact 111, and may be pulled or drawn through the aperture 101. Aperture 101 is identified easier as the correct aperture because the extension member 43 is inserted into the aperture at the front face 105 where it is readily identifiable by the aperture number marked upon front face 105 as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, first the tip of the contractable bushing 44 of contact insertion tool 40 may be inserted into the aperture 101 identified by the number on the face as shown in FIG. 2. Tool 40 is extended to a depth beyond the rear face 104 to the point of engagement with the contact 111 of wire 110. Wire 1-10 is identified by the identification mark 112- as corresponding to the contact which should be inserted into the aperture 101. The trigger 32, if at this time not yet in open position, that is with the trigger 32 in downward position (see FIG. 7), is switched into open position, with the operators thumb, by depressing the trigger 32. The tip of chuck 44 is then engaged with the pin reduced diameter or tip such that the pin reduced diameter is inserted to its full depth into chuck 44. The tool 40 may be then switched to closed condition by pushing the forefinger against the lowermost portion of the trigger 32 as shown in FIG. 7 to switch trigger 32 into closed condition as shown in FIG. 8. The contact pin 111 is then engaged Within the now closed or contracted collet chuck 44 in pin secured relationship. The tool 40 is then drawn to the right as shown in FIG. 1, the contact .111 secured in tool 40 being pulled by tool 40' through the aperture 101 in connector body until the contact locks into its assembled position in the connector body 100. The trigger 32 of handle and trigger mechanism 41 is then depressed into open condition and the pin contact 111 is released. The tool 40 is then withdrawn through aperture 101 past the front face .105 of the connector body 1 00 and may be then inserted through another aperture to assemble the next selected contact pin.

Refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows the pin contact tip holding contractable bushing 44 and a portion of the extension tube 43 contact pin inserting tool 40' shown in FIG. 1. Pin contact tip holding unit 44 may comprise a collet housing 14 which may be a generally tubular shaped member having a central aperture or bore 34 therethrough, having a first counterbore 35 at the pin contact tip inserting end and having a counterbore 36 at the other housing 14 end. Collet housing 14 may be externally bevelled or chamferred at the counterbore 36 end by a bevel or chamfer 37. Housing 14 also may be internally bevelled or chamferred by an internal bevel or chamfer 38 at the end of the counterbore 35 of housing 14 which is in the region of the contact tip inserting end. External bevel 37 may be externally bevelled to about 30 degrees from the housing 14 axis, for example, and internal bevel 38 may be internally bevelled at 10 degrees from the housing 14 axis, for example. A grooved contractable bushing or collet 13 is provided. Collet 13 is inserted for a portion of its length into the counterbore 35 in slidably interfitting relationship. The portion of collet 13 inserted into counterbore 35 is varied between two depths in operation as will be described hereinafter. The collet 13 is of a generally tubular bushing configuration. Collet 13 may have a first reduced diameter sleeve or tubular portion 39 and a triangular or buttress-shaped expanded diameter tubular portion 133. Buttress 133 may be formed by a diametrically outward and angularly inclined portion 139 flared outwardly from the tubular portion 39 nearest the tool 44 tip and then by a diametrically inward angularly inclined collet bevel or chamfer 137. Extending through the portion of collet .13 nearest extension tube 43 is an aperture 134. Extending from the contact insert tip end of collet '13 is provided a counterbore 135. Between the bottom of counterbore and the aperture 134 may be provided a reduced diameter counterbore 136. The counterbore 135 may be drilled or otherwise formed or machined to provide a bottoming bevelled interfacing surface 236 between the aperture 134 and the reduced counterbore section 136 of the collet .13 for rigidly seating the securing means to transversely move the collet 13 as will be hereinafter described. One end of extension tube 43 is bearingly supported in the collet housing counterbore 36 and may be secured thereto by an adhesive (not shown) to insure that even with a slip fit, rigidly secured mating relationship is obtained between the adjacent end portion of the outer circumferential and end surface of tube 43 and the bottom and inner bore surfaces of counterbore 36 of collet housing 14.

The adhesive may, for example, be a resinous adhesive preferably an aromatic adhesive or bonding agent and may be the anaerobic self curing compound adhesive of the type known as Loctite-Stud Lock or Nut Lock or Bearing Mount. Such an anaerobic self curing compound adhesive is available from The Lock Tight Corporation, 705 North Mountain Road, Newington, Conn.

Bonding agents as that sold under the trademark Epon and similar bonding agents sold by several manufacturers are also suitable for these and other joined parts providing the criteria is met of sufficient bonding of interlocking members so that parts of the tool are not pulled apart or damaged by pulling against restraining force or otherwise in the operation of the tool 40. Obviously, the adhesive securing means to secure rigid interconnection are given by way of example and the invention is not to be limited thereto. Other securing means such as threading, mechanical roughing or crimping, riveting, providing a force fit or sweating the tube 43 into the housing 14-, etc. may be provided.

Optionally, for higher chucking power and rigidity, counterbore 135 shown as a single counterbore may comprise at least a pair of counterbores, the largest diameter counterbore being the one where the collet chucking is to take place and a smaller diameter counterbore being disposed between the counterbore 136 and the counterbore 135.

Within tube 43 and extending into the bottoming chamfer 236 of collet 13 may be provided a tension-pin Wire 15. While in nowise to be limited to these dimensions and mentioned merely by way of example, wire 15 may be 8.5 inches long and .O32-* -.0O1 inch diameter music Wire and may terminate at bottoming chamfer 236 in a nodule 115. Nodule 115 may be the shape of a frustum of a cone flaring outwardly in the direction of the collet 13 at an angle of 30 degrees to the wire 15 axis for fixedly securing the wire 15 to the collet 13. Nodule 115 may be thus secured by fitting it into the bottoming section (not numbered) between the bore 134 and the counterbore 136 and bounded circumferentially by the bottoming bevelled interfacing surface 236. The nodule 115 may be peened to form peen 116 so as to rigidly adhere the nodule 115 end of the tension pin wire 15 against the bottoming interface 236 between aperture 134 and counterbore 136 so as to hold wire 15 into securely engaged position therein. A chamferred stoppin plug 237 may be provided and sized to fit within counterbore 136 and the adjacent end of bottoming interface 236 and against the peen 116 of nodule 115 to hold the wire 15 and the collet 13 in rigidly fastened relationship. Plug 237 may also adhesively or otherwise be fixedly secured in collet 13, for example by the above-mentioned adhesive or mechanical securing means. It is of course also contemplated that other or additional means of securing the end of nodule 115 to the collet 13 may be alternatively provided. It is important that a good mechanical connection of collet 13 and wire 15 be made inasmuch as the Wire 15 advances and retracts the collet 13 selectively into tightly interfitting engagement along the mating bevelled collet housing surface 38 and loosely held or spaced disengagement from surface 38 so as toprovide for contraction and expansion of the aperture 135 for selective gripping or securing and releasing or slidably loose engagement of the pin 111 as Will be described hereinafter. At the contact insertion thicker edge section 133 and extending about a third of the length back along the collet 13 may be provided a plurality, for example, three slots cut out of the collet 13, one of the slots 138 being shown in FIG. 3. Slots 138 facilitate collet action wherein the end of collet 13 terminating in the portion 133 may be compressed upon collet 13 being slidably drawn so that bevelled surface 139 is forced against the bevelled surface 38 to compress and therefore diminish the aperture 135 so that gripping or securing engagement of the end of contact pin 111 may be effected in collet chuck fashion. Upon displacing of the tension-pin wire 15 away from the contact pin 111 engaging end of the contact insertion tool 40, the bevelled surface 139 is caused to forcibly slidably ride against and upon the bevelled edge surface 38 of collet housing 14. This causes the thicker portion 133 of collet 13 to contract and to diminish the enclosed aperture 135 at that point and cause gripping engagement of the end of the pin 111 which is shaped and sized to be grasped and secured along W its reduced diameter pin tip length within the end of the aperture 135.

Refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows the preferred illustrative embodiment socket securing tip corresponding to the pin tip illustrated in FIG. 3. This socket securing tip is an engaging means to secure a socket contact as shown in FIG. 4 on the socket tip inner counterbored surface such that a socket may be drawn through the socket contact containing connector (not shown) corresponding to pin containing connector shown in FIG. 1.

Refer to FIG. 4. A socket insertion tool 40' and method of inserting sockets are provided which except for the socket contact engaging tip and steps of engaging, securing, releasing, etc. instead of the pin contact engaging tip and steps of engaging, securing, releasing, etc. shown in FIG. 5 may be similar or identical to the pin insertion tool 40 and method illustrated in FIG. 1. The socket insertion tool 40 may have a handle and trigger mechanism 41 comprising a handle 31 and a trigger 32' identical or similar to that of handle and trigger mechanism 41 of the FIG. 1 embodiment, a plunger housing and mechanism 42 identical or similar to the plunger housing and mechanism 42 of the FIG. 1 embodiment and a socket contact retaining expansible bushing member or collet type chuck 44'. The function of expansible bushing mechanism 44 is similar to that of the pin contact retaining chuck 44 of FIGS. 1 and 3 but is of configuration to enable the retention and disengaging of a socket contact 111'. As in the case of the FIG. 1 embodiment, the socket contact insertion tool 40 is extended through an aperture 101 from the face 105 of a contact retaining connector body member 100 into which it has been determined that socket contacts 111' are to be inserted. A connector body such as the connector body 100 may also be used for insertion of socket contacts, modified if necessary, and if found desirable for certain applications. The tip of the expansible bushing portion 44' of the socket contact insertion tool 40' is extended beyond the rear face 104' of the connector body 100 as in the case of the pin contact tool 40. If not already in tool open position, the trigger 32' is depressed to open position. The tip of tool 40 is caused to engage to fullest possible extent the bore of opening through the end of socket contact 111. The trigger 32' is depressed to tool 40' closed position. In this closed position, as will be described in detail, the expansible bushing 44' secures the socket contact 111. Socket contact 111' may terminate a wire which is to be connected to the wire 1.10 of FIG. 1. The tool 40 and secured socket 111 are retracted and drawn or pulled into and through the aperture 101 until the socket contact is locked into assembled position. The trigger 32 is then depressed to switch the expansible bushing mechanism 44 to open condition and the socket 11' is released. The tool 40 is then drawn out of connector body 100 through the aperture 101 past the front face 105'.

Refer again to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates the socket contact tip engaging end 44" of the preferred illustrative embodiment socket contact insertion tool 40 of the invention. A socket tension wire 21 similar to the pin ten sion wire 15 of the pin contact insertion tool 40 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 is provided. While in nowise to be considered as limiting the invention, wire 21 may have the same diameter and be formed of the same material as Wire 15 of FIG. 3, may have a length of 8.78 inches and terminate in a nodule 121 of similar shape and size as nodule 115. Surrounding wire 21 may be provided a socket guide bushing 20, a spacer 19, a socket rear expander bushing 18, a socket stroke-stop 23, and separable along the tension wire 21 from socket stroke stop 23 and about the terminating end of wire 21 nearest the socket to be engaged, and also surrounding the nodule 121 may be a front socket expander bushing 17 and an adhesive material covering or cap 25. Adhesive material 25 may be one of the previously mentioned anaerobic self curing compounds and other bonding agents. The invention is not to be considered as limited to the enumerated materials and may be of another substance of the desired properties for protection of the wire 21 and nodule 121, for example, silver soldering. The end of bushing 17 opposite the covering 25 is chamferred to provide a chamfer 24. The nodule 121 of socket tension wire 21 is peened to provide a rigidly held termination against the angular bottoming bevelled surface 56 (see FIG. a) in a counterbore 53 provided in the front expander bushing 17. Socket rear expander bushing 18 is chamferred at the ends by first and second chamfers or bevelled surface 16 and 26. Surrounding socket strokestop 23 may be provided an expansible bushing 22. Expansible bushing 22 may comprise a tubular-shaped split bushing having a central axial aperture 27 therethrough of diameter to fit around the circumference of the socket stroke-stop 23 and having a slot 28 (see FIG. 4) through the thickness of and along the length of bushing 22. The inner aperture 27 defining surface of expansible bushing 22 is terminated by first and second inner chamfers or bevelled shaped edges or countersinks 29 and 30.

Refer to FIG. 5a in conjunction with FIG. 5 which figures show the wire 21 in the respective retracted closed and expanded open. positions. The expansible bushing 22 and its chamfers 29 and 30, socket stroke-stop 23-, wire 21, front bushing 17 and its chamfer 24 and rear expander bushing 18 and its first chamfer 16, the spacer 19 and socket guide bushing 20 are sized and shaped and the structure made such that from retracted to advanced position of wire 21 the expansible bushing bevelled surfaces 29 and 30 ride upon bevelled surfaces 16 and 24 to provide a space or greater space b than space or closure b in wire 21 retracted position.

The socket guide bushing 20 may be a generally tubularshaped member having a central axial aperture 54 sized to retain the socket tension wire 21 in readily laterally slidable relationship therein and having a counterbore 55. Into counterbore 55, preferably up to a bottoming angular inner surface (not numbered), which may be provided, is rigidly secured as by the aforementioned aromatic or aerobic self-curing compound or other adhesive of suitable cementing and other characteristics, a socket contact insertion tool extension tube 63. Between the socket guide-bushing 20 and the rear expander bushing 18 is the spacer 19. Spacer 19 may comprise a tubular-shaped bushing having an aperture 45 axially centrally machined or formed therethrough of the same diameter as that of aperture 54. Rear exxpander socket bushing 18 may have an axial central aperture 46 therethrough of the same diameter as that of apertures 54 and 45. Between the double-chamferred rear expander socket bushing 18 and socket front bushing 17 is emplaced the socket strokestop 23. Socket stroke-stop 23 may comprise a bushing member having an axial central aperture 47 of the same diameter as apertures 45, '46 and 54. Adjacent or closely spaced from, or else spaced from, the socket stroke-stop 23 depending upon whether wire 21 is in retracted or extended position is the front bushing 17. lFI'OIlt bushing 17 comprises a bushing having a straight circumferential portion 51 adjacent the front bushing bearing chamfer 24 and a second chamferred surface 52 adjacent to and sup porting the cap 25. Front bushing 17 has an aperture 48 therethrough of the same diameter as apertures 54, 45, 46 and 47. Through the portion of socket front expander bushing 17 nearest the cover 25 is a counterbore 53 which terminates in a bottoming countersink or bevelled or chamferred surface defining a countersink aperture (not numbered) between the aperture 48 and the counterbore 53 and which is angularly bevelled at an angle of degrees from the front expander bushing axis to retain the nodule 121 therein. The nodule 121 is peened at peen 57 to be closely fitted in and retained by the countersink 56. Counterbore 53 may be filled with the cap 25 adhesive to restrain the nodule 121 from lateral movement 12 away from bottoming countersink 56 and opposite movement with relation to front bushing 17 is prevented by nodule 121 bearing against countersink surface 56-.

The bevelled angular surfaces 29 and 30 of the expansible bushing 22 and the bevelled surfaces of the rear expander socket bushing 18 and the bevelled surface 24 of the front expander socket bushing 17 and bevelled surface 16 of the rear expander bushing 18 are respectively angled so as to provide mating surfaces wherein the bevelled edges 29 and 30 of the expansible bushing 22 ride upon the bevelled surfaces 24 and 16 of the front expander bushing 17 and the rear expander bushing 18 respectively. As will be described hereinafter, the lateral movement of the wire 21 into selectively retracted and extended position draws the expander bushing 17 and the expander bushing 18 accordingly touching or closer together as shown at meeting or close spacing b in FIG. 5 and separated as shown by the space 12 therebetween in FIG. 5a. The resultant riding of the bevelled edges 29 and 30 of the expansible bushing 22 on the mating bevelled edges 24 and 16 respectively causes the expanding bushing 22 to expand against the inner surface (not numbered) of the pin receiving aperture of the contact socket 111 to lock the contact 111 securely therein or to contract to loosen the socket contact insertion tool 40 from a socket contact 111. The) socket guide-bushing 20 may have a front chamferred or bevelled surface 33. The distance from the front tip of cover 25 to the bevelled surface 33 is preferably shorter than the depth of the pin receiving aperture of socket contact 111' so that in engaged position the socket bears against the surface 33.

Refer to FIG. 6 alone and in conjunction with FIGS. 4

V and 5. FIG. 6 illustrates the plunger housing and (plunger) Banism 42 may terminate the wire 15 or 21 mechanism 42' which may be provided and in which is terminated the socket tension wire 21 of the embodiment of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The identical plunger housing and mechanism 42 as that of plunger housing and mechanism 42' may be utilized with and may terminate the tension wire 15 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 3. Since the plunger and housing mechanism 42 may be identical for either the FIG. 1 pin contact insertion tool 40 or the FIG. 4 socket contact insertion tool 40", to avoid undue repetition of illustration and description of obviously interchangeable units, only the mechanism 42 of FIG. 4 will be illustrated in FIG. 6 and described in detail and it will be understood that the FIG. 4 plunger housing and mechrespectively of the FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 embodiments. The right side as viewed in the drawings in FIG. 5 (or FIG. 3) is shown broken off to illustrate continuation of extension tube 63 (or tube 43) for a distance which may cover several inches and which, as illustrated in FIG. 6, may continue into the left side and may terminate within plunger housing and mechanism 42'. The plunger housing and plunger mechanism 42 is responsive to actuation of the trigger 32' (see FIG. 4) to be switched to respective open and closed positions to laterally slidably displace the piano tension Wire 21 (or wire 15 in the case of the pin contact insertion tool 40) such that in the leftmost, as illustrated, or open pos1t1on of wire 21 the socket contact 111 (or pin contact 111) is not secured but is released and in rightmost, as illustrated, as closed wire position, the expansible bushing of the FIGS. 4 and 5 embodiments causes the respective socket contact 111' (or the contractable bushing of the F165. 1 and 3 embodiments causes the pin contact 111) to be in securely held condition.

The plunger housing and plunger mechanism 42' comprise a plunger housing 58 and a plunger 59. vided also as components of the plunger housing and plunger mechanism 42' may be a coiled or spiral spring member 60, a wire end crimp retainer 62, an insert bearing 64, and an adjustment screw member 65.

The plunger housing 58 may be threaded on one end surface with threads 66 for threaded assembly into the socket handle housing 31' (or into pin handle housing 31). Plunger housing 58 may further comprise a bevelled flange may Pro- 67 having a bevel 68 and an end face 69 which may bear against the adjacent end face of the handle 31 on threadedly engaging threads 66 into mating internal threads to be described provided in handle 31. Bevel 68 of housing 58 may terminate in a tubular plunger housing portion 71. Between the threads 66 and the enlarged flange 67 may be provided a thread undercut 72. A pair of flats 70 (see FIG. 4) may be provided to facilitate assembly. Adjustment screw 65 may have a central axial aperture 73 extending therethrough. The lock nut 61 may be a hex nut, for example, and may have an aperture (not numbered) having threads 74 extending therethrough. An aligned inner aperture (not numbered) threaded by threads 75 is also provided in plunger housing 58. The adjustment screw 65 is threadedly and adjustably engaged Within the threads 74 and 75 of the threaded apertures of nut 61 and housing 58. Plunger housing 58 also has a counterbore 76 which bottoms into the threads 75 of the housing 58 threaded aperture. Plunger 59 may comprise a tubular section 77 and a flange 78. Axial central aperture 79, intermediate counterbore 80, and outer counterbore 81 may be machined or formed in plunger 59. Into the counterbore 76 is slidably disposed plunger tubular section 77. Into the plunger intermediate counterbore 80 is assembled the wire end crimped retainer 62. Adjacent wire retainer 62 is assembled the insert bearing 64, the parts being made so that bearing 64 fits into plunger outer counterbore 81. The insert bearing 64 may comprise a thick disk-shaped member having a hermisphericallyshaped hollowed out plunger ram bearing recess 82. The plunger 59 flange 78 seats within an aperture in handle 31 to be described. The coiled spring 60 is positioned under tension and varied in longitudinal diameter in a manner to be described, between the handle rear end 83 of the plunger housing 58 and the front flange end 84 of the plunger 59. The wire retainer 62 may have a central axial counterbore 85 which may extend from the front to a rear stop surface 86. The tension wire 21 (or wire 15 in the pin contact in sertion tool 40) extends through the aperture 87 provided in the extension tube 63, through the adjustment screw 65 inner aperture 73, through the plunger housing counterbore 76, through the aperture 79 of the plunger 59 and thence into the counterbore 85 in crimp wire and retainer 62, and against counterbore bottom or stop 86. The crimp end 62 is crimped at assembly by a crimping tool (not shown), for example, such that the wire 21 is permanently and tightly retained within the wire end retainer 62 preferably against stop surface 86. The pin 21 outer diameter circumferential end may be sized to a slidable fit at its front end within the apertures 47, 46, 45, 54 and 87 and is secured tightly in aperture 48 and against bottoming surface 56 by means such as the peen 121 and cover 25.

I At the plunger housing and mechanism 42 end the ex tension tube 43 is sized to slidably fit within the bore 73 of the adjustment screw 65 and may be adhesively secured therein by said anaerobic self-curing compound or by the other hereinabove-enumerated means.

Upon exerting sufficient force upon plunger 59, with plunger housing end face 83 secured to the handle 31 and therefore considered to be in a stationary reference vertical plane (as shown in the drawings herein) relative to the plunger 59, the spring 60 will be compressed and plunger 59 will be displaced to a position deeper within the counterbore 76. This plunger 59 displacement also displaces insert bearing 64, wire end retainer 62, and the wire 21 around which the retainer 62 is crimped to the left with relation to tube 63 and bushings 19, 18 and 17 to extend the wire 21 and hence attached front bushing 17 with relation to expansible bushing 22 to enable contracting of the bushing 22 which is stressed to be so contracted with socket front expander bushing 17 separated a greater distance from socket rear expander bushing 18.

Refer to FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10. FIGS. 7-10- inclusive illustrate the handle and trigger mechanism 41 of FIG. 4 in operative relationshp with the plunger housing and mechanism 42 of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 illustrates the trigger 32' and its associated mechanism in collet chuck or expansible bushing 22 contracted or open position. FIG. 8 illustrates the trigger 32' and its associated mechanism in chuck or expansible bushing 22 expanded or closed position. Since the illustrative embodiment handle and trigger mechanism 41' construction of the pin contact insertion tool 40' may be identical to that of the socket contact insertion tool 40 in the illustrative embodiment, only the socket contact insertion tool handle and trigger mechanism 41' is illustrated (in FIGS. 7l0 inclusive) and described in detail. An identical handle and trigger mechanism to that illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 and an identical plunger housing and mechanism to that illustrated in FIG. 6 for the socket insertion tool 40" may be provided for the pin insertion tool 40. Hence, only the FIG. 6 socket insertion tool plunger housing and mechanism 40' and only the socket contact insertion tool handle and trigger mechanism 41' are illustrated (in FIGS. 7l0 inclusive) and described in detail. However, it is to be understood that these FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 and their attendent descriptions illustrate in the drawings and described in the specification herein the corresponding units of the FIG. 1 pin insertion tool 40 embodiment.

Refer again to FIGS. 7 and 9. The handle and trigger mechanism 41' of the socket contact insertion tool 40' comprises a handle 31 and a trigger 32'. The handle 31' may comprise a first (viewable to a right handed operator) generally rectangular side 10-8 and an opposed identically shaped side 109. Sides 108 and 109 are joined along a portion of the bottom edge lengths by a bottom closure 92 to define a transversely across FIG. 7 U-shaped crossscctional structure along the joined lengths of sides 108 and 109 and helping to define a U-shaped in cross-section trigger holding chamber 93. Chamber 93 is open at the top only along part of the trigger 32' length and is open both at the top and bottom along part of the trigger 32' length. At one end the rectangular sides of the handle 31' are joined by an end closure portion 94 having a depending projecting finger 91. End closure portion 94 forms one end of chamber 93. An angled irregular shaped front handle plunger mechanism containing portion 95 may be provided and may comprise a front generally rectangular in cross-section shaped index finger resting portion 96 and a curved portion 119. Portion 96 may be disposed in angular depending relationship with respect to the generally rectangular sides 108 and 109 of handle 31' so as to form with projecting finger 91 and therebetween the handle bottom closure 92 and the bottom of trigger 32 a resting and gripping portion for the furthest out joints (first joints) of the fingers of a human hand. The operators thumb may rest upon the top surface of the trigger 32 with manipulation to depressed trigger position by the thumb and shifting the index finger first joint to actuating position under the bottom of the trigger 32 to exert an upwardly directed force for switching to tool closed condition. Portion 96 and the rectangular sides of the handle 31 are joined by top curved section 117 and bottom curved section 118 which bound curved portion 119. From the front end of the bottom closure 92 to and including an area comprising the curved section 118 is provided a trigger mechanism handle bottom receiving groove 97 through which the trigger 32 bottom may be pivoted in a manner to be described. The words top, bottom, left and right where used herein denote the directions as viewed by the reader looking at the drawings. The left viewed direction is considered the front and the right viewed direction is considered the rear for the tools 40 and 40'. However, in describing the connector body and its environs the right viewed portion such as face is considered the front and the left viewed portion such as face 104 is considered the rear.

An elongated trigger top receiving groove 98, extending for almost the width of top of the handle 32' and for most of the length between the rear end of the top curved section 117 and the end closure 94, is provided through the handle top surface (not numbered) to receive therein the top ortion of the trigger 32 which travels therethrough in tool closed trigger position. The face of the side 108 of the handle 31 may be marked with indicia of open and closed (as indicated in the FIGS. 7 and 8) and with a two-way arrow to indicate to a right handed operator the position to which the trigger 32' should be thrown to indicate these respective open and closed conditions. For left handed operators the handle 31 (or handle 31) will be so marked on the face of the side 109. The handle may optionally be so marked on the faces of both sides 108 and 109.

Through the left side or front face 99 of front rectangular shaped index finger resting portion 96 may be machined or formed an aperture 88 to receive the plunger 59, and its contained parts comprising the insert bearing 64, having bearing recess 82, in which is bearingly, rotatably supported an end of the dogbone 90, which is provided and will be described; and spring 60; and the threaded and undercut portion comprising threads 66 and undercut 72 of plunger housing 58. The aperture 88 of portion 96 of handle 31' is threaded by internal threads 89 to receive the external threads 66 of plunger housing 58 in threaded assembled relationship to a depth where shoulder or end face 83 is secured against handle front face 99.

With the trigger 32' assembled therein, the pistol-like hand holding handle and trigger mechanism 41 of FIGS. 7 and 8, may be considered to comprise a generally inverted U-shaped in cross-section handle having a first index finger engageable trigger finger 126 protruding downwardly when in the open position of FIG. 7 and a second thumb e'ngageable trigger finger 140 protruding upwardly when in the closed position of FIG. 8. The handle 31' of the handle and trigger mechanism 41' comprises an elongated generally rectangular portion defined by sides 108 and 109. The top portion (not numbered) of the rectangular elongated portion of handle 31' has provided therein the elongated groove 98. The bottom portion (not nurnbered) has therein provided the groove 97. Groove 97 extends from the front end of closure 92 to the rear terminating end of the bottom curved surface 118. The ends of the inverted generally U-shaped handle 31' comprise the angularly bent front handle portion 95, and the projecting finger 91. The trigger 32 is assembled into the handle 31' in pivotal relationship to form, with the handle, a solid structure which as above-described is an inverted generally U-shaped device with the trigger 31' selectively extending from the top or depending from an area within the elongated by joining bottom in accordance with its last switched open or closed position.

The trigger 32 (or trigger 32) may be relatively irregular-shaped. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front or left hand side may be somewhat U-shaped to the left in crosssectional contour. The lower leg of the U may be an index finger actuable trigger for closing, finger member 126, may be L-shaped in cross-section and may comprise from right to left as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8, first and second rectangular portions 127 and 128 and a left pointing triangular portion 1 29 having a rounded front edge 130. Into the base portion 131 which may connect the legs of the trigger 31 U-shaped portion is provided a counterbore 131. Into the counterbore 131 is provided a trigger insert bearing 5120 having a spherical bearing recess 143. A top thumb actuable to open, trigger finger 140 may be provided and may be somewhat trapezoidal in cross-sectional shape having a forward face 141 inclined to clear forward face 142 of chamber 93 in closed trigger position and to be approximately parallel to face 142 in open trigger position. The top surface of the finger 140 from left to right may comprise a rounded portion, an angled straight surface inclined for better thumb engagement in closed FIG. 8 position and to be flush with the top surface of handle 31' in open FIG. 7 position. The

top surface of trigger finger member is further formed with a rear sloping surface (not numbered) and a bottom surface parallel to the upper surface of the first rectangular portion 127 of trigger finger 126 to define therewith, together with the front .142 defining chamber 93, with the front surface of leg 131, and with bearing recesses 82 and 143 of the plunger insert bearing 64 and the trigger insert bearing 120, an inner chamber in which the plunger ram or dogbone 90 may be translationally and rotatably moved in its complex movements between open and closed positions of the trigger 32' and the plunger 59.

The trigger 32' may further comprise a generally rectangular piece 151 having a rear straight and then sloping edge (not numbered) and which is shaped and sized such that upon pivoting as described hereinbelow the rear wall of chamber 93 defined by the front face of end closure portion 94 is cleared.

Through the apertures 145 provided through the trigger and mounted in aligned apertures (not shown) in the sides of the housing is a roll pin 148. Trigger motion limiting enlarged aperture 145 is positioned and dimensioned to be of size such that the roll pin 1-48 upon depressing of the trigger 32 to open position bears against the top portion of the surface defining trigger motion limiting aperture 145 to limit the travel of 3-2 about pivot pin 146 to extreme downward position. This position of the pin 148 in open or downward position of the trigger 32' is illustrated in FIG. 7. When the trigger 32 is rotated to open position by pushing finger 126 to its upward position as shown in FIG. 8, the roll pin 148 acts as a trigger stop mechanism in the reverse direction. The pin 148 then bears against the lower edge of the trigger 32' surface defining trigger motion limiting aperture 145 as shown in FIG. 8. A third aperture (not numbered) in the trigger 32' may be provided as a manufacturing reefrence or tooling hole.

The dogbone or dumbbell 90 has substantially spherical ends 149 and 150. The dumbbell end 149 is bearingly rotatably seated in hemispherical aperture 82 of the insert bearing 64 of plunger 59. The dumbbell end 150 is bearingly rotatably seated in semispherical aperture 143 of trigger insert bearing 120.

As the trigger 132' is pivoted around pivot pin 146 to up and down respective closed and open positions, the trigger insert bearing 120 and its hemispherical or semispherical recess .143 and hence the rear substantially spherical end 150 of dumbbell or dogbone 90 moves in a circular arc of about 30 as limited by the pin 148 engagement with the respective trigger 32- surfaces which define the upper and lower boundary portions of aperture 145. The front spherical end 149' accordingly is transla tionally displaced, along the plunger :59 axis, moving the plunger insert bearing 64 and hence the plunger flange 78 to accordingly compress or expand the spiral spring 60 and to laterally displace the wire end retainer 62 and hence the Wire 21 to slide in the respective apertures 79, 73, 87, 43, 46, and 47 to displace the wire so as to actuate the collet chuck 44 accordingly. The socket insert tool 40 will of course operate correspondingly. The plunger 59 and the spring 60 are critically positioned in the illustrative embodiments such that in the downward depressing movement of trigger 32 at a point wherein the spherical portion 120 moves partially downward, the spring 60 is compressed to its maximum compressed position and on moving further downward to the limit imposed by the bearing of roll pin 148 against the upper surface of the trigger defined aperture 145, the spherical portion 150 of the dogbone 90 and the trigger insert bearing 1 20 on moving past the dead center position cause the spring 60 to again commence expanding such that there is a positive locking in the open or downward position of the trigger 32. In the reverse position, the same type of action occurs. Upon elevating the trigger 32' to trigger closed position the hemisphere spherical section 150 moves past the dead center or spring 60 most compressed position and the ll 1 spring 60 then commences to expand thereby causing the roll pin 148 to provide positive stop action against the lowermost surface of the aperture 145. In this way, a positive locking feature in selectively closed or open position is provided.

OPERATION AND METHOD Refer again to FIG. 1. Assume a plurality of contacts 111 in a bundle are to be inserted into the connector body 100. A contact pin 111 to be assembled into the connector 100 is selected for example by visually observing the indicia 112 which may be printed on the contact 111 to indicate into which aperture this contact 111 is to be inserted. The collet 13 and the following sleeve 14 of the pin contact insertion tool chuck 44 and the extension tube 43 are inserted into the aperture (for example, 101) at the face 105 of the contact 100 and extended through the aperture 101 and beyond to the proximity of the selected pin 111. The trigger 32 is depressed to open condition of the collet 13 and the pin 111 tip is inserted to fullest possible extent into the aperture 135 in the collet 13. The trigger 32 is then elevated by applying index finger force directed against index finger trigger to closed member 125 to cause the handle trigger 32' to assume the closed upper position illustrated in FIG. 8. This causes the socket contact insertion tool collet 13 to firmly or securely grip the tip of the pin contact 111. In pin contact holding position the extension tube 43 and then the tip of pin contact 111 are drawn through aperture 101 with the tube 43 held in approximately axial position within the aperture 101 until the contact pin 111 is locked into assembled position in the contact 1% in the conventional contact locked manner. This can be sensed readily by the contact pin 111 snapping into place and wherein reasonable further drawing force applied to the handle 31 will not cause further withdrawing of the contact pin 111 through the connector body 101]. The appropriate pin 111 to be inserted into aperture 101 is then in assembled position within the connector body 100. The contact 201a in aperture 201 in connector 100 shown in FIG. 2 illustrates this condition. The trigger 32 is then depressed as by the operators thumb to open position and the pin contact insertion tool 40 is withdrawn from contact 111 and is inserted into another aperture, the desired next pin selected from the group of pins and the operation is repeated until all of the contact pins which are desired to be so inserted have been inserted into the respective apertures in the connector body 100.

Refer to FIG. 4. In the FIG. 4 illustrative embodiment, the method is substantially similar except that the socket contacts 110' are inserted into the appropriate corresponding apertures of the connector body 100" in which the sockets are to be assembled. Although shown with a flexible backseal 103' such as a rubber seal, it should be understood that the seal in connector body 100" and the type of the socket contacts utilized are optional in accordance with the particular connector requirements. The socket contact 110' which has been crimped upon the appropriate wire 112' is preselected. The tip of the socket contact insertion tool 44 is inserted through the aperture in face 105' of connector body 101) corresponding to the particular contact 111] which has been selected by visual observation, for example, of the indicia 112' printed on the contact 112. The socket contact tip 44' is entered to fullest possible extent without deformation into the socket tip aperture (not numbered) and the trigger of the socket contact tool 40' is depressed if in closed condition not actuated if in open condition with the wire 21 retracted such that the expansible bushing or collet chuck 22 is in unextended contracted position. The handle trigger 32 is then pressed upwardly to closed condition and the wire 21 is retracted such that the expansible bushing 22 is expanded to bear upon the inner surface tip aperture of the contact 111 to secure contact 111' firmly in contact holding condition. As in the case of the contact pin insertion tool 40 the extension tube 63 and the tip 44' are drawn through the rear face 104' axially of the intended aperture 101' and through the connector body until the socket contact 111' snaps into locked connector body inserted condition. Upon retracting the tube 63 and the contact tip 44 such that the contact 111' is in snapped in position in the connector body 100', the trigger 32 is depressed into open position which causes the socket insertion tool tip 44 to release the socket contact The socket insertion tool 40 is then axially withdrawn. The operation is repeated until all the socket contacts to be assembled are inserted into the appropriate apertures in connector body 100".

Refer again to FIG. 3. Upon pressing the trigger 32 to open position the wire 15 and hence the collet 13 are forced to the left as shown in FIG. 3. In this condition, a clearance is provided between the mating bevelled surfaces 139 of the collet 13 and the inner bevelled surface 38 of the collet housing 14. In this condition, the collet 13 springs to its largest diameter condition such that the contact pin 111 tip outer diameter is less than the inner diameter of the collet 13. The resiliency or elasticity to spring outward upon release of housing 14 confining pressure is provided by the three grooves 138, one of which is shown in FIG. 3. Thus the pin 111 may readily be inserted into or taken out of the aperture in the tool 40 open condition wherein the wire 15 is moved to the left from compressing engagement with the bevelled surface 38 of the collet housing 14.

When the trigger 32 is elevated to closed position, the wire 15 is pulled to the right until the bevelled surface 139 of the collet 13 rides along and is constricted by the bevelled surface 38 of the collet housing 14. The limit of travel is selected by the trigger stop pin 148 and the aperture of the handle and trigger mechanism 41 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) and the parts are so shaped, dimensioned and arranged that tightly gripping engagement not sufficient to hurt the pin 111 but sufiicient to positively lock the pin 111 within the aperture 135 is provided upon the drawing of the wire 15 to the right the predetermined distance sufiicient to tightly but not destructively hold the pin contact within aperture 135. The pin holding engagement force is made sufficient so that the extension tube 43 and the collet housing 14 may be drawn through the rubber or other compressing portions which may be present in the connector body 100 without causing the pin contact 111 to become displaced within or from the aperture 135 and such that upon pulling of the pin contact 111 through the connector body aperture 101, etc., the pin contact 111 will be looked into assembled position within the connector body 100 without release of the contact pin 111. The contact pin is then released by depressing the trigger 32 to open position. The collet 13 accordingly is disengaged from the collet housing 14 and displaced therefrom a distance suflicient so that the contact tool 40 may be slid away from the contact pin 111 without friction sufficient to displace the wire 15.

Refer again to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates the socket contact insertion tool tip 44'. As in the case of the pin contact insertion tool 44, the contact socket insertion tool 44' is placed in open or contact releasing position by depressing of the trigger 32'. Depressing of the trigger 32' causes the wire 21 to move to the left as shown in FIG. 5, thereby forcing the front bushing 17 to be displaced to the left as shown in FIG. 5a. As shown in FIG. 5a, this provides a space 17 between the socket front expander bushing 17 and the socket stroke-stop 23. Under these conditions, as shown in FIG. 5a, the expansible bushing 22 is in its contracted position. The reason for this is that the aperture 27 edges 29 and 30 of the expansible bushing 22 are bevelled and in slidable relationship with respect to the opposing bevelled surface 24 of the socket front expander bushing 17 and the bevelled surface 16 of the socket rear expander bushing 18. In the left or released position of the wire 21, the maximum spread b occurs between the front expander bushing 17 and the stroke-stop 23; and the expansible bushing 22 rides at its lowest encircling position with relation to the outer circumference of the socket stroke-stop 23 and the rear expander socket bushing 18. This is illustrated by the relative circumferential gap distances a in FIG. 5 and 11 in FIG. 5a denoting a larger gap a in FIG. 5 wherein the expansible split bushing 22 is in expanded inner socket aperture engaging condition. In order to tighten the expansible bushing 22 against the inner surface of the socket 111 the expansible bushing must be placed into bushing expanded condition illustrated in FIG. 5. This is done by elevating the trigger 32 into raised closed position. In raised closed position the wire 21 and hence the socket front expander bushing 17 to which the wire 21 is attached by peen 121, by seating against the bottoming countersink 56, and by adhesive cover 25 is pulled to the right as shown in FIG. 5 to close the gap such that small or no gap b remains as shown in FIG. 5. Upon such displacement of the socket front expander bushing 17 toward the socket rear expander bushing 18, the expansible bushing 22 under bevelled surfaces 29 and 30 ride up the respective bevelled surfaces 24 and 16 to cause the split expanding bushing 22 to expand to an outer diameter such that the outer circumferential surface of the expanding bushing 22 firmly grips the inner surface of the contact socket 111' tip. The socket 111' tip is thus firmly held by the expansion of the expansible bushing 22. The expansion and contraction dimensions are made such that upon contraction to the condition shown in FIG. 5a the tip of the socket contact insertion tool 40' may be readily withdrawn from the socket 111' tip inner circumferential surface and that upon expanding of the expansible bushing 22 to the condition shown in FIG. 5, the socket 111' tip is held in firmly engaged condition such that the socket contact 111 may be drawn through the connector body 100' until locking into assembled or inserted position of the socket contact 111' into the connector body 100 is effected. The trigger 32 is then depressed to tool 40 open condition and the socket contact 111 is released by contraction of the expansible bushing 22 into socket tip releasing dimension.

Refer to FIG. 6. As shown by the bracketing together of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the extension tube 63 extends to the right as shown in FIG. 5 until it terminates to the left in the plunger 59 as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows the plunger housing and plunger mechanism 42'. It should be understood of course that plunger housing and mechanism 42 is identical to FIG. 6 and hence, not shown, in a separate figure is provided at the right-most extremity as seen in FIG. 3 to terminate the extension tube 43 of the FIGS. 1 and 3 embodiment. Since the two members are identical, FIG. 6 only has been described in detail and it will be noted that the identical mechanism is provided between the tip shown in FIG. 3 and the handle and trigger mechanism 41 as is shown in FIG. 1. This identical mechanism 42 is shown in FIG. 1.

The operation for both the FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 embodiments of pulling the piano wire 15 or 21 respectively and its effect on gripping the inside of the aperture of the socket contact 111' or the outside of the pin contact 111 so that the contact can be pulled through the connector body 100 or 100' from the connector body rear 104 or 104' to the connector body front 105 or 105 has been explained hereinabove. Now refer to FIG. 6. In order to pre-tension the spring member 66 for normal operation, the adjustment screw 65 with the lock nut 61 in loosened condition and disengaged from housing 59 is rotated with relation to the plunger housing 58 by means of the flats 70 (FIG. 4) until the predetermined correct tension is exerted upon the compression spring 60. Rotation counterclockwise along the adjustment screw 65 by the housing 58 may be effected, the adjustment threads 125 being moved to the right as shown in FIG. 6 until the spring member 60 is tensioned to the desired predetermined extent between the housing end face 83 and the plunger front face 84. The plunger 59 is prevented from travelling along with the spring 60 because of the restraining effect of the wire 21 within the wire end retainer 62. When the tensioning has been adjusted by rotating the adjustment screw 65 counterclockwise with respect to the plunger housing 58 such that the spring 60 has reached predetermined compressibility, the lock nut 61 is rotated clockwise to locked position. The extension tube 63 is retained in place as above-described by means of the adhesive or other means to firmly secure it to the inner surface of the threaded adjustment 65 defining the aperture 73.

Refer again to FIGS. 7-10 inclusive. In the open condition the trigger 32 is depressed to the position shown in FIG. 7. Rotation of the trigger member 32' occurs around the roll pin 146 such that the index finger operable trigger finger 126 protrudes through the trigger mechanism receiver groove 97. In this condition, the spherical member 150 of dumbbell is depressed downwardly past the dead center position wherein the spring 60 is in its most compressed condition to a position therebelow wherein the spring 60 expands such that the rear spherical portion 150 in FIG. 7 open position is below the spherical portion 150 in the closed position shown in FIG. 8. This retains the dogbone 90 in the open position shown in FIG. 7 semipermanently until the trigger 32' is elevated to upward closed position. In open position the pin 148 is urged against the uppermost bearing portion of the aperture of the trigger 32' such that further expansion of the spring 60 to further depress the trigger 32' is not permitted. Thus the pin 148 in conjunction with the aperture 145 acts as a stop defining the lower extremity permitted of depression into open condition of the trigger 32'. In this condition, the spring 60 is in'predetermined contracted condition determined by the distance that the sphere 150 is permitted to go below dead center until the stop 148 bears against the trigger surface surrounding the aperture 145. In this condition, the displacement of the dogbone 90 in being urged against the bearing recess surface 82 of the insert bearing 64 causes the plunger 59 to push the wire 21 to slide to the left with respect to the bushings wherein it is contained as shown in the figures such that the socket front expander bushing 17 of the FIG. 5 embodiment or the collet 13 of the FIG. 3 embodiment are displaced to the left into collet chuck open (contact releasing) condition. Upon elevation of the trigger member 32' to closed position by applying a force on the underside of trigger finger 126, as shown in FIG. 8, the dogbone 90 is forced past dead center in the opposite direction a distance such that the spring 60 is tensioned into greater compressed condition than it is in the FIG. 7 open condition. That is a greater distance beyond dead center of dumbbell 90 rotation is permitted. By triangulation, it is seen that the compression effected by the dogbone 90 in closed position is greater, and hence the spring 60 is more compressed. This greater compression transmitted to the plunger 59 and the plunger housing 58 causes the plunger 59 to be displaced to the right relative to the housing 58 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and the wire 21 is retracted to the right pulling the socket front expander bushing 17 to the right as shown in FIG. 3 to cause the expansible bushing 22 to expand to socket gripping condition as shown in FIG. 5. The same retraction to the right of wire 15 by the pin contact insertion tool 40 causes the collet 13 to be pulled to the right into collet housing 14 wherein contraction of collet 13 chucks the pin contact 111. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, when retracted into closed condition, the spring 60 is compressed a greater amount than in the open condition by the geometry of the interrelationship of the mechanism of the trigger 31', the dogbone 90, the plunger housing and mechanisms 42' and the spring 60 such that the spring exerts a greater force on the edge of the edge 83 of the plunger housing 58 and the edge 84 of the plunger 59 causing a displacement of the wire 21 to the right as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 and thus causing the tightening action against the contact tip to be effected when the trigger is in trigger up or closed condition. In this condition, the index finger engagahle trigger finger 126 as shown in FIG. 8 may be flush with the lower end of the trigger mechanism receiving groove 97 adjacent the handle bottom enclosure 92.

Refer to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 presents another preferred embodiment of the handle and trigger and of the plunger mechanism for either a socket contact or a pin contact insertion tool similar to the mechanisms of FIGS. 1-10 but with a modified construction.

In this embodiment a handle 180 may be provided. Handle 180 may comprise a lower somewhat V-shaped in cross-section portion 181 for grasping with the lower three fingers of an operator and an upper generally rectangular in cross-section portion 182 around which may be curled the index finger of the operator. A lever 183 and a pivot means 196 around which the lever is rotatable may be provided. The lever may be operable to rotate in the direction of the curved two-way arrow between open tool position and closed tool position C. The pivoting means 196 may be centrally located in a surrounding rotatable cam surface 177. The plunger and plunger housing mechanism 199 may be spring operated in similar fashion to that described for FIGS. 1-10 and will not be described in detail. A roller or a ball 198 may be provided to displace the plunger end to advance or retract the Wire as in the above-described embodiments. Cam 177 may comprise a round surface 197 terminating in a flat 178. The round surface 193 forces the roller 198 further to the right upon contact than the fiat to cause the spring (not numbered) to be further compressed in round cam surface 197 contracting position. The rotation of the lever 183 between open 0 position and closed C position in turn causes the rounded portion 197 to engage the roller 198 in closed condition to retract the wire 195 and the flat to engage the roller 198 in open position 0 to extend the wire 195. The inside rear fiat surface 194 of the housing 190 serves as a stop in the direction of greatest compression, that is the closed condition of the wire 195 wherein the spring (not numbered) exerts the maximum force to retract the wire 195. Upon rotation of the cam 177 around the pivot 196 such that the flat 198 engages the roller the plunger (not numbered) is moved to the right as shown in FIG. 11 which enables the spring (not numbered) to be in less compressed condition. This causes the wire 1 95 to be extended and hence to open the contact insertion tool tip. While of course the invention is not to be limited to this construction, in the FIG. 11 embodiment, for example, the cam surface can be made 0.2 inch rise per 30 degrees of rotation.

While the invention is in nowise to be considered as limited by the following dimension, in one practical embodiment for a tool adapted for 16 gauge contacts, by way of example, the following dimensions and specifications may be used in the FIGS. 1-10 embodiments.

The trigger may be 3.14 inches in length. The trigger and handle may be made of aluminum alloy materlal. Aperture 145 may be .348 inch in diameter and pivot aperture 144 may be .136 inch in diameter. The handle bottom between the curved surface 118 and finger 1 may be approximately 2.94 inches long. The plunger 59 may be .192 inch tubular diameter and .375 inch flange diameter, with the insert counterbore 81 being .252 inch, the retainer counterbore 80 being .128 inch and the aperture 79 being .082 inch in diameter and the material of a corrosionresistant steel known as CRES 303. The collet housing 14 may be .101 inch in diameter with a degree from axis bevel 38 and the aperture 35 may be .084 inch in diameter. Housing 14 may be .7 inch long. Collet 13' may be of material known as Bryleo 33-25, may be .550 inch long, may be .100 maximum outside diameter and the slots 138 may be .01 inch wide. Aperture 135 may be .063 inch in diameter. The helix spring 60 may be .73 full length and formed of music Wire. The plunger housing 58 may have a tubular portion 71 diameter of .360 and be 1.375 inches long with a /2 inch flange 67 diameter and counterbore 76 may be of .196 inch diameter. Expansible bushing 22 may be .100 inch long with an outside diameter of .063 inch with a .005 inch wide slot 28. The aperture 27 therethrough may be .047 inch. Bushing 22 may be made of berylium copper alloy material. The front expander bushing 17 may be .043 inch long, have a front 45 chamfer 52 and a 30 olf axis charnfer 24. Aperture 48 may be .033 inch in diameter. Rear expander bushing 18 may be .048 inch long, have two 30 off-axis chamfers 16 and 26. Bushing apertures 45, 46, 48 and 54 may each be .033 inch to accommodate the .032 inch diameter music wire 15 and 21. Spacer 19 may be .154 inch long and have a .046 inch outside diameter. Extension tube 63 may be 6.375 inches long, have a .072 outside diameter with a .009 inch Wall and be made of corrosion resistant steel known as CRES 304 tubing. The socket stroke-stop 23 may be .07 inch long, with a .046 outside diameter and made of corrosion resistant steel known as CRES 17-4PH. Insert bearings 64 and 120 may be made of CRES l7-4PH material, may have a .25 inch outside diameter and a .188 spherical radius and be .125 inch long. The tension Wire crimped end 62 may be .250 inch long with a .130 inch long reduced surface and a .046 wire holding counterbore which is crimped to reduce diameter, may have a .125 inch flange outside diameter and may be formed of Berylco 33-25 material. The plunger ram or dumbbell may have an overall length of 1.289 inches terminated by .187 inch diameter spherically shaped ends and a bar diameter therebetween of .125 inch. Dogbone or dumbbell 90 may be also formed of Berylco 33-25 material.

Preferred embodiments illustrative of the contact insertion tools of the invention have been described hereinabove. Also described in detail has been the methods of the invention which may readily employ the contact insertion tool of the invention. However, it will be readily appreciated that within the principles of the invention modified tools in accordance with the invention or other illustrative embodiment tools may be provided. Similarly, it will be understood that the contact insertion tool of the invention is also applicable to other methods and uses apart from that of the method of the invention shown and described herein. For example, the contact insertion tools of the invention may be employed to grasp a socket contact or a pin contact tip in order to provide such useful functions as soldering at a distance, soldering in small places and to enable crimping of such a tip to a wire.

While salient features have been illustrated and described with respect to several particular embodiments, it should be readily apparent that modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is therefore not desired to limit the invention to the exact detail shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector contact insertion mechanism for inserting an electrical connector contact into an electrical connector body having electrical contact retainable apertures, said mechanism comprising gripping means to releasably retain an electrical contact member in positively held relationship,

an elongated support member associated with said means to retain said electrical contact member,

said means and said member being sized and shaped to enable pushing the means and member through the contact retainable apertures provided in said connector body, and

means to draw said gripping means and said elongated support member through a contact retainable aperture, and

means to selectively actuate the releasabiy retaining means to contact-releasing and to contact-retaining condition.

2. The mechanism of claim .1 wherein:

said means to releasably retain said electrical contact member comprises expansible means to engage the inner surface of a socket contact aperture.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, said apparatus further comprising a plunger housing and plunger mechanism,

said wire being fixedly retained within said plunger mechanism,

3. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein: 5 flexible means disposed between said plunger and said said means to releasably retain an electrical contact plunger housing to effect selectively drawing of said member comprises contracting means to secure at wire to compress said collet to contracted position least a portion of a pin contact. and extending of said wire within said tubular mem- 4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein: ber, to thereby move said collet respectively to tubusaid means to releasably retain an electrical contact lar member constricting and to freely open position,

member comprises an expansible bushing, and and said releasably retaining means further comprises means handle and trigger means selectively to us aid fi X- to selectively effect expansion and contraction of said i l m ans to actuate said plunger housing and expansible b hing, plunger mechanism to manipulate said wire into collet 5, The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said means to pin contact sliding and (3011611 pin contact retaining relationship. 11. A contact insertion tool for inserting a contact into a connector, said connector having a front face, a rear face, and a plurality of apertures therethrough, said tool comprising:

expansible and contractable means to releasably retain releasably retain an electrical contact member comprises:

a contractable pin engaging collet, means to selectively cause said contractable pin engaging collet to contract or to expand. 6. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said means to releasably retain an electrical contact member comprises:

an expansible bushing, said bushing having an aperture therethrough, said aperture terminating in bevelled surfaces adjacent the collet,

said tubular member counterbore having a bevel against which the collet bevelled surface may be urged in slidable relationship to compress said collet to contact pin tip retaining inner counterbore diameter.

a contact member in positively held relationship, a tubular member coaxially aligned with said releasably retaining means,

edges th f, a wire slidably disposed in said tubular member and first and second separable members having opposed secured to said expansible and contractable means to b ll d surfaces to b i l lid bl support i selectively actuate said expansible and contractable bushing b ll d surfaces h h upon d i means to accordingly selectively retain or release said said separable bevelled members together said bush- Contact, i id upon id separable membcr b ll d said expansible and contractable means and said tubular faces to expand said expansible bushing and upon means being Sized and shaped to be entered and urging apart said bevelled members, said bevelled Pushed through one Of the apertures Via the ffOIlt Surfaces on Said expansible bushing are slidably face to protrude past the rear face for securing said moved in a direction to contract the circumferential Contact in retained condition of Said p sible and size of Said bushing. 5 contractable releasably retaining means and to be The apparatus of claim 6 including: w thdrawn in the back to front face direction through a wire fixedly secured to said first bevelled member, and sald P P along Sald Contact until Said means to slidably dispose Said Wire Within said Second contact is in 1nserted position within said connector bevelled surface member such that transverse movebody ment of Said Wire Within Said Second bevelled means to draw said expansible and contractable means ber selectively causes expansion or contraction of as W as sald tubular member through a Contact said bushing with respective constriction and expanretamable.apernire a sion of the space between said bevelled members. means to Slide Sald W said tube to selecnvely 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means to f sald exlianslble and cqmractable means to selectively actuate the releasably retaining means furgg retain 0rr.e1ease.Sa1d Contact ther comprises: e tool of claim 11 including:

handle and trigger means operative in conjunction with sviiltchmg said wire to cause said bevelled members to be sald mean.s to Slide i i Comprising plunger means selectively drawn together or forced apart, responsuie 9 Sald switching 9 to Selectively a plunger housing and plunger mechanism, comprising inove Sald Wire member with relailon to S3151 tubu' resilient means normally urging said wire to past 0 ar member tofheriiby cause Selecnve retraction and dead center spring action condition such that the fg of sald i wire will be held in the position to which it was 6 tool of 01mm 551d Plunger means last triggered, i h said trigger means further comprising stop means to r aplunger ousing having a face limit the bevelled members drawn together and forced g g a face opposed to Sald Plungfir hous- 1 9 2? gsg gg g i i g i g g g g zg g iii iz a spitriallsprmg disposed between said plunger housing releasably retain an electrical contact member comprises: a i f faces and a collet having slot means to surroundingly retain a pin 6 i i f contact selectively in loosely sliding or retaining rela- 0 c ing means urther compnsmg means to tionship, swltc 331d P g r ram to selectively a first and a said collet having an outer bevelled circumferential Second effectfwe.length to therfiby i transverse surface and having a counterbore sized and shaped mcgerilent O Sald plunger agamst Sald Spnng to cans? to receive said pin contact tip, i P ungar i assume Semlpermanent Plunger PO31 a Wire, lgnt n selectively wire contracted or wire extended a tubular member having an aperture therethrough to P 31 receive said wire in sliding transversely movable rela- 5 2 tool of Clalm 12 mcludmg tionship therethrough a triggefassociated with said handle I I I a u 7 means to ngldly attach sald Wlre to one end of Sand said trigger comprising means to actuate said switching taining means comprises:

a collet, a collet housing,

said wire selectively engaging and disengaging said collet Within said collet housing in response to sliding of said Wire to respectively cause said housing to constrict said collet or to allow said collet to expand.

116. The tool of claim 11 wherein said releasably retaining means comprises:

an cxpansible member having an aperture therethrough shaped at both edges,

a first and a second expansible bushing support member having opposed shaped surfaces disposed and structured to be in mating movable relationship with said expansible bushing shaped edges,

said Wire being attached to one of said first and second support members,

means to movably support the Wire in association with the other of said first and second support members to selectively vary the spacing between said support members to accordingly permit said expansible memher to expand to contact retaining size and to contract to contact releasing size.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bauer et a1 29203 Johanson et a1 29203 Fisher 29203 Cameron 29-203 Crew et a1 29-203 Anhalt 29-203 Rapp 29203 15 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner R. B. LAZARUS, Assistant Examiner EEIIEECEE 

